Korg littleBits

sciguy wrote:But my problem is that they're trying to say that the littlebits can teach about real electronics, which I just don't see.
also, I don't see Legos as really an equivalence; there's just so many more possibilities in Lego than there are in the regular LittleBits.

My 2cents on it, as someone who's interested in electrical engineering and has had experience in trying to teach electronics to kids. it's just how I personally see it.

You can't see that it is a set of basic electronic building blocks, that kids can use to quickly build something larger than the individual pieces by easily and quickly joining them together, and reconfiguring them, just like Lego?

I think it will get kids interested in electronics, and show them how different circuit components can be connected to make larger working circuits.

Sure it doesn't teach you actual electronic theory, but I don't think it has to, it is just to get them interested, to let them quickly make things happen, without having to know any theory, there is plenty of time for that to come later if there is continuing interest.

Just like Lego teaches kids to build things by joining plastic blocks together, that isn't teaching them any actual building or engineering principles, and I don't think that kids have the capacity to understand them, or be interested by them, anyway.

Not really sure that you are going to interest many kids in electronics theory anyway, at least to the level of actually understanding circuits and being able to design and build them by themselves.

They are kids FFS, you are over-thinking it and expecting too much.

Just like Lego teaches kids to build things by joining plastic blocks together, that isn't teaching them any actual building or engineering principles, and I don't think that kids have the capacity to understand them, or be interested by them, anyway.

Not really sure that you are going to interest many kids in electronics theory anyway, at least to the level of actually understanding circuits and being able to design and build them by themselves.

This.

I quite agree this is not the same as grabbing a Forrest Mims book and a soldering iron but it is undeniably fun to put circuits together with the bits.

Kids would still be learning modularity, which is a big deal in electronics. Especially in today's outsourcing business climate where companies design a product locally and then go to China and hire 8 to 10 engineers for the price of one in America, I'm not even sure kids of the future will need basic electronics skills. Not when they can still design cool stuff with modules.

The bits let people experiment with circuit designs in seconds; this is just invaluable for anyone with a short attention span who would get easily frustrated with learning about circuits by breadboarding.

This is an interesting topic but on a bigger scale than the just the Korg product.

Take what Simon is trying to say about LEGOs and then look at what has actually happened in the world of LEGOs to see the bigger picture.

LEGOs use to be about exactly what Simon is saying but they have now evolved into those concept specific (high dollar) playsets.
Kids now think of LEGOs as playsets instead of seeing them as creative building blocks.

Same is probably what Korg saw and created them more toward the current mentality.
Kids who are truly interested in something always find it even if it means picking up some old electronic item at the thrift store to pull apart.

We live in a world where kids can go online and find schematics for all kinds of electronics to build with a parts list or even kits but few actually do it.

Knowledge now seems to be about the more important things in life; when the next Jordan's come out or how to cut a key.

I think Korg is looking at the fact if people become interested and want more they can easily deliver that as well.
Their who family of mini products has stayed pretty cost effective and sold well for them so it seems like they have some understanding of what can be properly marketed.

So, I've had this kit over a month now. It is awesome.

I had been building a pretty typical synth chain:

OSC>Envelope>Filter>Delay

Maybe throw the little 4 step sequencer in front of the OSC. Maybe the other OSC too.

Sometimes I'd want the desk space back and take it apart in halves and place it nearby. One day I grabbed the halves and put them together 'backwards'. It started making some totally new sounds.

Of course, this is obvious in hindsight. It's a modular system. What's not so obvious is the modules fit in the palm of your hand and can be swapped in and out in less than seconds. Trying out new ideas is super fast and you can store it in less space than a shoebox.

It's easy to dismiss it as a toy. I think what it really is though is something a lot closer to a sketchpad.

And those ideas translate back into using other gear.

I'm already contemplating buying another kit.